“I have made this decision for one simple reason: I cannot bear the thought of spending at least 20 weeks of every year in Canberra away from my son, who will be starting school in the next term of Parliament, and from the rest of my family,” Ellis said in a statement.
“Ultimately, we all have to make choices and I know that regularly missing things like my son’s first day at school, his first sporting match, or even just tucking him in at night or being there when he is sick and wants his mum, would make me absolutely miserable.”
Ellis will step down from the early childhood education portfolio immediately meaning Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will have to reshuffle his front bench.
Shorten has praised Ellis on her “outstanding” parliamentary service and says she will be missed.
“We admire her strengths, as a policy thinker, as a campaigner and as a trailblazer. But we also know Kate wants the chance to spend precious time with her son Sam. We respect her decision,” Shorten said in a statement.
Opposition Leader @billshortenmp's statement on Kate Ellis' decision to resign at the next federal election #auspol pic.twitter.com/zKsXLZMcW1
— Political Alert (@political_alert) March 9, 2017
Her decision has prompted praise and commiserations from colleagues, peers and constituents.
You are a champion for #ozearlyed @KateEllisMP . Thank you for your commitment and for saying "we can do better" for Australian children. https://t.co/qelAnoFe4c
— Leanne Gibbs (@LeanneMGibbs3) March 9, 2017
I feel bad for Kate Ellis. It's another sign of how stacked in favour of men with wives the political system is.
— Stephanie Peatling (@srpeatling) March 9, 2017
There's plenty of blokes w little babies & kids in parliament & in cabinet. Yet you never hear of one making the choice to be w their kids.
— Stephanie Peatling (@srpeatling) March 9, 2017
The education & care sector will miss your advocacy, your passion & belief in early education. But I suspect we all get why @KateEllisMP https://t.co/c1VDerFsOh
— Lisa Bryant (@LisaJBryant) March 9, 2017
So parliament makes it hard to keep women who have children. That's a problem! https://t.co/6ffwdyXJB1
— David Crowe (@CroweDM) March 9, 2017
A big loss. Great role model in @KateEllisMP will be missed. There's a bias in inflexibility of fed politics for working mothers #auspol https://t.co/3Zm5fkMcWR
— Helen Dalley (@helen_dalley) March 9, 2017